I’m optimistic. I believe there will eventually come a time when we look back in disbelief, shame and shock about the quality of some reporting here in Malaysia.

Who knows how long it will take, but I believe there will be a time when an independent, objective media would frown on the type of article below.

Said article seems to be an attempt to ‘humanise’ and create sympathy for the people behind the NFC. I believe this misses the point. The point is not whether the people behind NFC are nice human beings or not. The point is whether they misused public funds. The article has not persuaded me that NFC is innocent of this, but again, you will have to read it for yourself and decide whether it persuades you.

I can only speak for myself, but I will reserve my sympathy for the millions of Malaysian who suffer substandard living conditions and are cut off from the country’s wealth that they deserve because those in power steal and enrich themselves in an unending orgy of greed.

I have much more to say about the spirit and motivations of whoever let such an article run, but perhaps instead of stating them, I’ll invite you to read the article below and form your own conclusions.

I will go so far as to put in bold turns of phrase used by The Star and its reporter that I feel warrant a closer look, and insert just a few observations of my own, with some brief final comments at the end.

IT is a hot afternoon at the National Feedlock Corp (NFC) cattle farm in Gemas, and Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail can be forgiven for looking hot and bothered.

“I don’t really like press conferences. I am a scientist. I go to the lab and I do my work,” says the NFC executive chairman and former head of Technology Park, his puffy eyes betraying his lack of sleep.

This time around, however, he does not have the luxury of keeping out of the spotlight.

It has been a busy few weeks for him, not only because of the NFC project but also because he and his family have come under a barrage of attacks from the Opposition.

It started after the Auditor-General’s report described NFC as “a mess” and poorly managed for meeting only 41.1% of its target for 2010.

Dr Salleh is the husband of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who is also Wanita Umno chief. NFC is run by Dr Salleh and their three children Izmir 31, Izran, 27, and Izzana, 25.

Naturally, the Opposition was delighted at having such a juicy target.

The Opposition appeared to have help on their side as they managed to get hold of NFC’s accounts and transactions.

Dr Salleh put it down to two of his top managers – the finance manager and sales manager – resigning from the company under “suspicious circumstances” a few weeks earlier.

nat: Hmm. This seems to be an attempt to cast doubt as to the integrity of the two individuals who left. Yet, their integrity or lack thereof (neither of which is here proven) has no bearing as long as the numbers & documents they provided are genuine and accurate – this does not at any point seem to have been contested.

PKR’s strategic director Rafizi Ramli led the slew of attacks, questioning the RM250mil government loan to NFC and declaring he had information that the loan was already drawn down. He hit out at NFC, calling it a failure for having suffered a loss of RM7mil in 2008 and another RM11mil the following year.

Then he hurled questions about NFC spending RM827,579 on its directors’ overseas trips and its whopping discount of RM2.9mil for beef bought by Meatworks, their family-owned restaurant.

The most explosive salvo was that NFC had used the government loan meant for its cattle business to buy a RM9.8mil luxury condo at One Menerung in Bangsar. Rafizi called this an “unheard of investment decision” for a cattle company and accused NFC of misappropriating public funds.

It didn’t stop there.

Allegations that NFC had paid RM26,400 for “expenses” to Shahrizat in 2008, donated cattle worth RM5,300 to Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Mansor and given another RM2,600 worth of cattle to Klawang assemblyman Datuk Yunus Rahmat were shot at them.

“I was shocked. My wife was also shocked. We didn’t know how to address it. The business is doing well, sales are expanding and I consider ourselves lucky having succeeded. Then suddenly this 30-something-year-old guy, Rafizi, comes along and attacks us.

“I don’t know him. My wife doesn’t know him. My wife has always been friendly and nice to everyone and she has never hurt anyone so we didn’t know why he was attacking us. We asked our children if they knew Rafizi and none of them did.

“We were checking to see what wrong we might have done for him to try to harm us like that. It’s not like he came to ask for my daughter’s hand in marriage and we turned him down,” Dr Salleh bursts out.

nat: Cute though this marriage proposal quip is, these statements beggar the question – Is questioning corruption and misuse of public funds a “personal attack”? It’s not as if anyone is accusing anyone else of sodomy here. It seems indicative of a certain mentality to suggest that one needs to have a personal vendetta in order to question how money that belongs to the rakyat may be ending up in the pockets of a select few.

He stresses that his wife Shahrizat is not involved at all with NFC or its operations. Discussing the business at home, he says, is a strict no-no with her.

“If I open my mouth and even try to bring it up, she will tell me to keep quiet. She doesn’t want to hear about it. My wife puts up a big wall between us, where I have my part and she hers (and these remain separate),” he adds.

nat: I suppose it is up to you whether you believe political connections between husband and wife had anything to do with this deal, and/or whether Dr. Salleh received this generous aid from the government completely independently on his own merits. As I recall, there is something about not just being clean, but being seen to be clean.

A little sheepishly, Dr Salleh reveals that when the controversy broke, Shahrizat even went for a day without talking to him!

“After that, it was okay. She was composed. My wife and I and the kids are all very close to each other.”

He confides that it took him a long time to understand that the attacks were “political” and that for some (like Rafizi), “politics is more important than integrity.”

nat: Oh dear me. This I fear I cannot let slide. I’m glad he brought up integrity though. Draw your own conclusions of course, but mine are that the ones who are raising pertinent and relevant questions regarding the financial management of NFC are in fact the ones who are a litttttttle more interested in restoring the semblance of integrity to politics. And who is attacking who again?

The publicity-shy Dr Salleh shares that Shahrizat did not force him to have the press conference. He felt compelled to address the allegations after seeing the comments from her party members, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who had asked NFC to explain and former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who said Shahrizat has nothing to do with the company.

On the day of the press conference, Shahrizat had flown off to Makkah for umrah. The family was supposed to go there together but with the allegations pending, they decided to shelve the trip. Dr Salleh says he managed to persuade Shahrizat to go ahead without them.

“I told her this issue has nothing to do with her. I think going there and praying would help strengthen her. I am biased because she is my wife. She is a good woman.”

Flanked by lawyer Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, NFC corporate and financial consultant Zakaria Mohammed, and his son Wan Shahinur Izmir, who is also NFC director, Dr Salleh fields various questions from reporters for an hour and a half, giving lengthy explanations for each allegation.

nat: Oh that Shafee. His fingerprints – ones I confess I find entirely grubby – are nearly everywhere there is any major Umno thing going on. Recently he has been vigorously defending the MACC in the dual death by falling from a height cases involving Teoh Beng Hock and Ahmad Sarbaini.

He also does not hesitate to provide information on the business.

NFC imports Brahman cows from Australia. These are kept in pens at the Gemas farm where they are fed and fattened to be ready for slaughter in four to six months.

The cows at his farm are valued at over RM4,500 compared with RM2,500 for a local cow, he explains, because Brahman cattle are twice as heavy as those from Kedah and Kelantan.

“The six-month-old cows we have are as big as the four-year-old cows in Kedah and Kelantan. Local cows eat but do not grow fat.

“We (NFC) need cows which are of good stock because we are producing them for meat. Our cows eat and grow fat quickly and can weigh up to 600kg in just a few months,” he adds.

When asked why they have to import their cattle, he says they have to start somewhere.

The long-term plan, he explains, is to work together with Felda and Felcra, which have large tracts of land, to breed these high quality cattle locally.

“We are forced to import the cattle now but we have been in business for only two years. Our contract is for 30 years and is renewable for another 30 years, so I think in 60 years, the success will be there (to breed the high quality cattle locally).”

He feels that it is not accurate to say the NFC had only met 41.1% of its target in 2010 because there is a difference between the number of cows they have and the numbers slaughtered.

Dr Salleh points out that NFC only started the business in 2009, and there were things to take care of before they were able to market the meat.

Its mini abattoir was only ready in April, obtained halal certification in June and got the Veterinary Health Mark (VHM) only in mid-2010, he adds.

It took a while to get the VHM because the Gemas farm is quite far and the department is very strict in issuing the VHM, he explains.

He says the department officers checked the farm twice, first to inspect the facilities, for which they suggested improvements and corrections, and later to make sure the corrections were made.

“Even if there is a temperature difference of 3° (in the abattoir), they will ask us to fix that. If we don’t have the VHM, supermarkets will not buy the meat from us even if they like our beef.

“It was only when we got the VHM in mid-2010 that our sales went up. We had the targeted number of cows in 2010 but we couldn’t slaughter them until we got the VHM. If we can’t sell the meat, why slaughter the cattle?” he says, explaining why NFC fell short of its target of cows that were slaughtered that year.

On its loan and grants, he says the government allocated a grant of RM13mil, of which 50% has been disbursed, and a loan of RM250mil with a 2% interest rate.

He denies that NFC had drawn down the RM250mil government loan, saying there was still RM69mil that hasn’t been released. The money, he says, is allocated in a special loan account and NFC would need to justify to the Finance Ministry the amount it needs before the money is released accordingly.

The agreement for the loan specifies that repayment will only kick in once the RM250mil has been totally disbursed.

Repayment for the principal amount would be RM14.7mil each year for 17 years, he adds.

On the controversial purchase of the One Menerung condominiums, Dr Salleh defends it as a “good business decision”.

The company wanted to develop a feedmill and this would happen only after the contract farmers’ project takes off and succeeds, he says, “So, we thought, while waiting for this, we have to find a place to park the money for the short term, one which would not depreciate and where we could make profits almost yearly.”

NFC bought the two condominiums for RM6.9mil cash per unit. In return, the developer gave them a cash rebate of 10% for two years, which comes up to RM57,000 a month per unit. They rent out each unit for RM18,000, which generates an income of RM75,000 a month per unit or RM900,000 a year for each unit.

“We are getting 12.9% returns on the investment. If we had put the money in the bank, we would get only 2.5% to 3.25% interest, which is less than the inflation rate,” he says, adding that the condominiums were purchased under the company’s name. Once the contract farming started, he says, NFC would sell off the condominiums at a good price because they are in a prime location.

nat: 12.9%? I’m wondering, are these condos open to the public? Is that rental market rate? Do others get the 10% rebate? Any special deal? I think there are more than a few people around who wouldn’t mind investing RM 6.9 million for a 12.9% profit. Also: who exactly are they renting these condos to? Have payments been received, made on time, etc?

As for the discount NFC gave to its Meatworks restaurant, like every new business that’s just starting out, says Dr Salleh, it had to be priced in a “very favourable way” to attract buyers.

He adds that every one of its 150 buyers, including wet markets and hypermarket operators, received the same amount of discount as Meatworks and that NFC was not giving preferential treatment.

nat: I’d love to see some documentation on that. I mean, a RM 2.9 million discount for your own restaurant? What % discount was that? I doubt any business, whether just starting or established, can give those kind of discounts, expect clients to eventually pay full price later on, and expect to be taken seriously as a genuine business.

He also denies that NFC paid RM26,400 to Shahrizat for expenses. In fact, she was the one who paid NFC RM25,000 for cattle she bought for qurban (sacrifice and distribution to the poor for Hari Raya Haji), he says.

Dr Salleh nevertheless admits that NFC gave a cow each to Shaziman and Yunus, but it was as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility to donate to the poor in the area.

He also justifies the RM827,579 NFC spent on overseas trips.

As the company was new in the industry, he explains, it had to go to Australia a number of times to look for the cattle and suppliers and establish business links with them.

“2009 was a difficult year for us because we didn’t have the expertise. We had to look for expertise in abattoir and feedlot, and skilled manpower to bring to Malaysia, and that cost money. Australia doesn’t consider Malaysia a big market, so there was a lot of cost of investment in our first year.”

None of them travelled first class on these business trips, he says, adding that Shahrizat did not come along for a single trip.

nat: Wow, you wanna medal? Even Lim Guan Eng travels economy. Did they travel business? And seriously, RM 827,579? Exactly how many trips, hotels, etc, do you need?

On NFC’s loss of RM7mil in 2009 and RM11mil in 2010, Dr Salleh took Rafizi to task.

“Obviously he doesn’t know anything about business. In any new business, you don’t make money for the first few years because there are investment costs. You need to put up buildings, infrastructure and make investments.

“The first year, we were struggling; the second year, we were getting better and for the third year, we are doing well. By 2012, our returns will be positive. And we have 27 more years to go.”

By this time, Dr Salleh has managed to get over his media shyness to deliver a jibe that Rafizi should not advise the Selangor government on how to do business.

“He would close everything down due to his inexperience,” he says. “(PKR’s) Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim was running Guthrie and has experience running real companies. I suggest he understudies Tan Sri Khalid before making any critical decisions.”

nat: Of course, not like this is “attacking” Rafizi.

Dr Salleh also points out that his three children who graduated from universities in the US had highly paid jobs there and it was he who forced them to return because he wanted to create skills in the cattle industry here.

“No child who graduates from university wants to be a farmer. I told them the country supported you and now you must support the country, and they reluctantly came back,” he says, adding that one of the jobs his children do now is to jaga tahi lembu (clean cow dung).

nat: Yes. I’m sure that’s what Sharizat’s children are doing. Shoveling bullshit. As it were. Mind disclosing exactly how much it is these poor patriots who are sacrificing oh so much for the good of their country are getting paid for dealing with said bullshit?

Lawyer Shafee says there is an overwhelming case to sue for defamation because every one of the allegations made is “rubbish, has been spun and not truthful at all”.

Dr Salleh says his family will sit down together to discuss whether to sue and how to proceed.

“It will be a family decision. We don’t want to rush into this. Rafizi has rushed into accusations. I don’t feel angry. I actually feel kesian (pity) for him. The anger will burn him rather than make us angry.”

Son Izmir too says he is not angry because the allegations are not true.

“But I am a bit sad that everybody else in the country may believe his over-eager accusations. We have addressed those issues and I hope the press can help disseminate this information,” Izmir says

“And I would like to invite Rafizi to take a look for himself instead of coming and screaming at us from the gate outside and then making allegations about everything when he has nothing.”

nat: Invitation noted for the record.

Still, people will be watching to see how Shahrizat emerges from it all. Some of her Umno colleagues, like the colourful Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Mohktar Radin, have demanded for her resignation over the issue.

But Muhyiddin has come to her defence, saying she doesn’t need to because she is not directly involved.

In the meantime, Shahrizat has been keeping a low profile.

Asked whether his wife has indicated she would resign, Dr Salleh only says he could not answer on her behalf.

“She, the PM and the DPM – they decide. I am only her husband. She doesn’t discuss political aspects with me. Whatever she decides, I support her 100% – as I have for the 31 years of our married life.”

*

How sweet. I’m just swooning at this lovely family man.

Look, at question here is not family, whether or not the individuals are question are pleasant charmers to be around, and so on.

The question is much simpler: has there been financial impropriety or not?

Presented above is one set of arguments in verbatim that you are entirely free to judge for yourself. A collection of statements detailing the other side of the story can be found here.

Firstly, thanks all of you who had kind wishes re: the smash theft of my Macbook Air – appreciate it!

Am publishing here (belated sorry!) an article written by an overseas visitor regarding the Bersih 2.0 rally, debunking many government myths about the rally jeopardising tourism etc. Happy reading!

Malaysia, Bersih 2.0 – A visitor’s view

When I arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday afternoon, July 2nd 2011 for a business trip on behalf of my London based university I had never heard of Bersih, the coalition of Non Government Organisations that seeks reform of Malaysia’s voting procedures. That was soon to change and very quickly.

My impression of Malaysia from a trip three years ago was that it was a prosperous and stable ‘Asian Tiger’ country, eager to make its way in the world, with a very interesting racial mix of people that seemed to be a real cultural, economic, political and spiritual strength. There had been the unfortunate brouhaha in the late 1990s around the arrest and imprisonment of the opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, on what appeared, from outside eyes, to be politically motivated charges concerning sexual probity. The international furore this incident caused died down upon his release, the international media circus moved on and I assumed that politics in Malaysia had done likewise. Smearing opposition politicians of whatever opinion with such charges tends to create a poor impression internationally that detracts from the attractiveness of the business environment. It generates an impression that the underlying political environment is unstable, that change cannot happen peacefully and that those at the top are clinging to power.

On Sunday morning I attended the 11.00 service at St Mary’s cathedral in Dataran Merdeka. The Dean, Jason Selvaraj, gave an impassioned sermon to a large multi-racial congregation that expressed deep concern about the current political and social environment in Malaysia. He deplored racism and its use for political goals and preached tolerance, compassion and equality for all.

Jason’s sermon stimulated my interest in what was currently happening in Malaysia so on my return to the hotel I immediately read the two English language newspapers available at the Sheraton, The Star and The New Straits Times. They were full of articles and news stories about a group called Bersih 2.0. The authors clearly regarded this Bersih as very dangerous, a threat to society as we know it, akin to terrorism etc. There was little information about what Bersih actually was, or what it stood for, though I did discern that it was trying to hold some sort of rally in KL on the following Saturday, July 9th and it seemed to be about fairness in regards to Malaysian elections. For the rest of my trip I followed the events as they unfolded in the newspapers and on television with increasing concern.

As the week proceeded the tone in the newspapers, in particular, became increasingly strident. Academics and various luminaries wrote judicious columns critical of the notion of street demonstrations as somehow ‘unmalaysian’. Newspaper editorial sections were equally vociferous about the threat to democracy and business. Taxi drivers were questioned about loss of trade and Sultans and leaders of various provinces added their voices to the din. I did not see one article that put any kind of opposing view apart from selected quotes in the news sections from various opposition politicians, and the Bersih leader, Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan, a former President of Malaysian Bar Council. The net effect of this one-sided onslaught in the newspapers was that people I talked to, in the hotel at least, said it made them curious about Bersih and what it was about. This biased coverage seemed to be having the opposite effect to what was intended was a definite own goal by the government supporting newspapers.

And what of the role of the police? Malaysian law requires a permit for demonstrations, much the same as in Britain. Bersih had applied for a permit but it was rejected on grounds of public safety, interference with traffic etc. Bersih said the rally would go ahead and the police stated that they were determined to stop it. A standoff, it seemed.

On Sunday, July 3rd the Malaysian king, Sultan Mizan Zainul Abidin, intervened, advising against street demonstrations and urging the government and Bersih to compromise on a stadium rally. Dato’ Ambiga successfully requested an audience with the king much to the chagrin of the Perkasa leader Datuk Ibrahim Ali who was clearly very put out by the recognition of Bersih that the audience with the king conferred. On Tuesday, after a frenzied media scrum (big headlines for Bersih yet again) , Ambiga and two other Bersih leaders announced that following their discussions with Sultan Mizan Zainul Abidin and in deference to his advice the street rally would be changed into a stadium rally at the downtown Merdeka stadium.

All seemed resolved as the government had appeared to acquiesce to the king’s wishes also. By Friday, when I had to leave KL, it was all up in the air again Merdeka stadium became ‘unavailable’, the government had appeared to retract on its promise, Bersih were back to a street march to the Merdeka stadium and the police were gearing up for a fight. The newspapers resumed their frenzy interviewing anyone who had a word to say against the march. One article in the NST did make me smile. A journalist was dispatched to find ‘terrified’ foreign tourists but couldn’t come up with any. ‘It’s normal’ said a Norwegian woman, it’s just part of society. I’m not worried, said another tourist from Australia, ‘I’ll still be doing my shopping’.

And so I left KL for Malacca with the city preparing for police lockdown in the biggest overreaction to a demonstration imaginable. As I sat on the train I wondered what would happen and would chaos really ensue. I wasn’t to find out the answer until I landed back in the UK on Sunday September 10th.

Malacca is a fascinating city for tourists to visit – I swapped my business hat for a tourist one. I enjoyed the sights, sounds and many attractions and became very absorbed by its history and culture. I had been warned by local people that getting to the airport on Saturday evening could be tricky as the police were reportedly ‘blockading’ KL. I wanted to ask locals what they thought of the situation but the political atmosphere seemed intimidating and I didn’t want to compromise anyone. It is a universal law, however, that if you want to know what’s happening in a place, ask a taxi driver. So I did just that, in the privacy of his cab.

He said that Bersih was very important because elections should be ‘fair’ and that all Malaysians were entitled to ‘a proper vote’. Malaysians were ‘very proud’ of their country but unfair elections were wrong and politicians should ‘listen’ and sort this out. I then asked him about Dato’ Ambiga and he said that she was a ‘very good woman’ who ‘told the truth to the Malaysian people’ and ‘they knew it’. He described her as ‘brave’ and said that she could ‘be trusted’ and this ‘is important for the country’. I asked him if Bersih had much support and he said that he thought so but some people might be ‘afraid’ to speak out.

I leaned on Sunday that Bersih had attempted to march to the Merdeka stadium. The police in full riot gear tried to stop them using tear gas and chemically laced water cannons. Dato’ Ambiga and many others were arrested and held, though subsequently released.

My overriding impression of Malaysia and its people is very positive. I like them, their culture, and their country very much and it is a great place to do business. I believe that all peoples should be entitled to free and fair elections, to change their leaders and governments peacefully, and to have freedom of expression and assembly. The Malaysian constitution gives this guarantee to its people so it seems to this visitor that it is time that the government, legal establishment, civil service all interested and relevant parties ensured that it is so.

I was driving along Jalan Bukit Bintang, about 730pm at night. Jammed as usual.

Some work had come in, and I had (perhaps foolishly) taken out my computer to tend to it (must complete assignments promptly).

Wish I could describe the next part in slow-mo.

- I closed my computer, happy work was done.

- I reached across to take laptop bag from passenger seat.

- I put computer back into bag.

- I zipped up bag.

- I placed bag back on passenger seat.

What felt like barely 3 seconds later, I thought someone had slammed into my car on the left.

After the initial shock (if you’ll pardon the profanity, I believe my exact words upon impact were ‘holy fuck’), I slowly realised I had fell victim to what is fast become an altogether common hit: two riders on a bike wait for a car with something valuable sitting on the passenger seat, the ride up, smash the window with a hammer, grab the bag/thing, and speed off.

I admit I was extremely impressed by the speed and efficacy of the criminals. They watched me, they waited for the right moment, then executed their plan perfectly. If law enforcement and/or crime prevention was as efficient, perhaps many of us would be spared such fates.

I am a little too deflated to go on at length with the usual tirade about how better management of police would cut down crime (but it would… Me? I’m inclined to increased police presence and patrols, as an effective deterrent), compare to Bersih, etc etc…

Oklah, too drained and exhausted. Don’t put stuff you know where. Will leave it here for now. Thank you fates, for only monetary losses and no serious injury, I guess.

A big thank you to all who came for the Bersih book launch on Sunday – it truly meant a lot to me and to us to see you there :D

Special thanks to my sister Bel and Rahul who helped carry very heavy books (as did Amito on the way back), handle sales, and provide pivotal support. Thanks to Beat and Joon who kept me company most of the evening. Thanks to mum and dad who came and bought me lunch :)

Thanks to our special guests Dato’ Ambiga, Pak Samad and Chin Huat, who shared really fun insight and stories :) Thank you as well to all the others (like Aunty Bersih!) who shared their own Bersih stories that day :)

Thank you Pang, Lee Kwang and their gallant team for the professionalism we’ve come to rely on at the Annexe.

Thank you all of you who were kind enough to buy a copy of the book :)

Final thanks once again to the great team that helped put together the book :) I think special mention must be made of Pandi and AL, who did much of the work towards the end. For an even longer list of acknowledgements, do pick up the book! :)

Many have been kind enough to enquire as to availability. The very first batch of books arrived only the day before, and are slowly trickling in. We may need at least a week or so to get our distribution networks in place, so we thank your for your indulgent patience – all availability details will be updated on the Bersih book page, and I’ll be sure to send updates on Twitter & FB as well :)

This post is mostly about attitudes. In light of Najib’s 2011 Malaysia Day announcements, we come face to face with the question of how we should react.

Indubitably, we have witnessed the full spectrum – from unbridled jubilation to the most bitter cynicism and disbelief.

Unoriginally, I find myself somewhere in the middle. I do not share the sentiment of those who feel that Najib is now God’s gift to Malaysia, nor do I share the sentiment that this announcement is an insignificant move by a political enemy that must be hated at all costs.

(I also will, unsurprisingly, not be changing my vote to BN, but will be interested to hear if you may be planning to do so?)

My view is basically centers around the following:

- That this is a significant step

- That credit goes to all those who have fought against the government for so long to achieve this

- That this is still just an announcement, and much much much remains to be seen before we consider objectives realised.

So I will not begrudge the Prime Minister some credit, but fully agree with those that state that full credit can only be given when the promised reforms are actually carried out according to the principles we believe in (no detention without trial, protection of basic human rights, and so on).

In general, I believe in being generous with credit – it’s seldom that important. In this case however, I feel that being grateful to the government for these reforms is like being grateful to the British for granting Malaya independence.

Like colonisation, these laws should never have existed/survived in the first place, and this is but one of many things that need to be put right.

Most importantly, we should recognise the stark reality that these reforms would never, ever have taken place if not for pressure from the rakyat.

Only because so many before us have pressed for it for so long have we achieved this milestone. We will never forget their sacrifices, or the unimaginable suffering so many have gone through.

It has been said that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance, and I feel that vigilance is indeed what is required now. I feel that the following are some of the most pressing things to look out for:

- Will the reforms actually happen before the next general election? (Or is this an insincere election gimmick that will fail to realise after the elections?)

- Will we see the closing of all centers for detention without trial, with all current detainees released or brought to court? (I wonder especially about Selvach, who never seems to be far from my mind)

- Will the new laws, alongside old ones like the very vaguely worded and easily abused Sedition Act (of which no mention was made), allow the government to abuse its powers in the same way?

Some questions related to reforms regarding the power of the authorities over citizens also include:

- As no mention was made of the IPCMC, will the police continue to abuse its powers in ways that it has done in the past? (Kugan, Aminulrasyid, Gunasegaran, Chia Buang Hin, etc)

- Will there be any meaningful findings in the deaths of Teoh Beng Hock or Ahmad Sarbani?

Lastly, as we cross this hump, let us take some time to think of what other major problems that plague our country. We welcome these reforms, but let them not be a distraction from other cancers still running rampant in our nation:

- These reforms should not be a distraction from Bersih’s 8 demands. They are not a replacement for the electoral reform Malaysia so badly needs in order to be a genuine, clean democracy.

- Corruption in the order of billions of ringgits continues to burn a hole of immense proportions in the coffers of our nation. Our top leaders should not be allowed to paint reform with one hand, and continue stealing from the rakyat with the other.

- Ethnic polarisation continues to gnaw away at our national fabric. In order to work towards true unity, we need to continue pushing for the depoliticisation of race, and the removal of race based parties from the center of political life.

These are the things I find myself thinking about on the heels of our historic victory. Many still suffer among us, so let us cheer for a while for what we have achieved here, but then continue on with the mountains of work that lay ahead of us.

ps- it seems I may be able to grow my hair back out a little earlier than expected :P